Chester FC 0 Wrexham 1
Chester FC striker James Akintunde bemoaned his team’s bad luck after they were edged out 1-0 by rivals Wrexham.
In front of a crowd of over 4,000 at the Swansway Chester Stadium, the Blues were left empty handed despite dominating possession against their cross-border rivals for much of the contest, which was settled by Shaun Pearson’s 44th-minute header.
Pearson and defensive partner Manny Smith were colossal for the visitors and Chester were unable to pierce their resistance, hitting the post through Lucas Dawson before Akintunde himself saw a 20-yard effort hit the crossbar.
But the visitors were streetwise and stifled Chester after taking the lead, although the performance from the Blues certainly warranted at least a share of the spoils.
“They didn’t have many chances but we just didn’t have the desire to win the set piece and they scored off it,” said Akintunde.
“After that the boys were quality, we came back out and we were fighting. If you watch the game we probably had more possession and more chances but they sat in and defended well. We hit the crossbar and hit the post and it was a bit of bad luck.
“But it’s all about winning games. Today we had a performance but we just didn’t get the win.
“As soon as they scored they came out in the second half to defend the lead, but I guess that’s why they are up there, because they can defend well.”
Chester remain mired in the National League relegation zone heading into two crunch away games, starting at Bromley a week on Saturday before travelling to Leyton Orient three days later.
Performances have improved under manager Marcus Bignot of late, but points remain hard to come by for Chester, who sit third bottom in the league.
But Akintunde remains confident that things are improving and that the arrival of Bignot is starting to pay off.
“He is a great manager and over time he has spoken about structure, roles and responsibility and the boys are getting the hang of it now,” said the 21-year-old Chester striker.
“The results will come, we just need a big win that we can kick on from. The points matter, that’s why we are in the position we are in. We just need that one game that can boost everyone’s confidence and we can kick on from there.”
